The current was so strong and our canoes moved so swiftly that we were quickly leaving the main body of Pangwes. We heard their shouts of rage and disappointment as they saw us escaping them. Horrid as were those shrieks and cries, they of course only made us paddle the harder; but still I felt anxious lest the smaller body I have spoken of might outstrip us.
“Suppose the Pangwes try to cut us off at another place, could we not haul our canoes up and make our escape overland?” exclaimed Natty, showing that he had understood the reason of the movement we had observed.
“We might escape them, certainly, for the moment,” I answered; “but we could not proceed on our journey without our canoes.”
“But we might return and get them, or drag them overland,” he observed.
“That would be a task, I fear, too great for our strength,” I said. “But your suggestion, Natty, is worthy of consideration, if we are hard-pressed.”
I told Stanley what Natty had said.
“I hope we shall not be obliged to do that,” he answered. “Paddle away, lads; we shall soon, I hope, see the last of them.”
On we went, the river now making its way through a thick forest, the trees coming down to the very water’s edge; now again it opened, and low prairie land was seen on the eastern side. The level appearance of the country made me fear that the river might make some bend such as I supposed our enemies were attempting to reach. The banks were, however, too high to enable us to see to a distance. At any moment they might appear on the shore. At length the banks became somewhat lower, and, standing up, I caught sight of a body of men hurrying across the prairie. They were, however, at a considerable distance behind us; and now it evidently depended on whether we should reach the supposed narrow place before them or not. I had often read of heroines; but as I looked at the calm countenance of Kate, showing that she was resolved to go through all danger without flinching, I could not help thinking that she deserved especially to be ranked as one.
I could see as I gazed over the plain, besides the negro army, numerous animals scampering across it, put to flight by their appearance—herds of quaggas, zebras, buffaloes, and various sorts of deer, the lofty heads of a troop of giraffes appearing above them all. Innumerable birds flew amid the boughs of the trees, and wild-fowl rose from the sedgy shores, or gazed at us from the mud-banks as we shot by. Here and there a huge hippopotamus raised his head, and gazed with his ferocious eyes, wondering what new creatures had invaded his territory; while scaly alligators lay basking in the sun, or swam about seeking some creature to devour.
“If we get clear of the savages we shall have no fear of starving,” observed Natty, as he saw the herds of wild animals I have described.